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EAGLE MOUNTAIN -- Deputies arrested a man on negligent homicide charges after he allegedly backed over and killed another man with his car in Eagle Mountain Saturday.
According to the Utah County Sheriff's Office, a family was having a get together Saturday night when two people started arguing.
It escalated into a physical altercation, then one of them ran over the other with an SUV -- killing him on the spot.
Many neighbors were shocked. They told KSL everything seemed normal, even jovial, just minutes before it happened.
Garrett and Dalon Cantrell went out to smoke around 10 p.m. That's when they saw the gruesome scene.
"Noticed the victim laying right there on the floor," said Garrett. "He had a sheet over with some blood stains on the head."
Another neighbor, Alfonso Lopez, looked out his window when he heard noise.
My neighbor tried to give him CPR but he was not responding," he said. "For a few minutes they tried and tried. It just looked like he was dead."
The victim -- 29-year-old Brett Ostler of Magna -- was visiting his sister at a house near 7000 North Kiowa Parkway (4000 East).
Deputies said Ostler's friend -- 26-year-old Eric Porter of North Salt Lake -- was also at the party. The two apparently got into an argument and it escalated inside someone's SUV.
Detectives said Ostler assaulted Porter, then got out of the car. At that point, investigators said they believed Porter backed up and ran over Ostler.
"The suspect recognized he had hit him. He stopped. He moved his car half way around the block. He called 911," said Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies and emergency units arrived shortly after. Paramedics tried to revive Ostler, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
"A few minutes later his wife showed up in front of the house. She was shocked. It looks like he has two children," said Lopez, "so it's sad."
Deputies took Porter into custody immediately on negligent homicide charges -- meaning they don't believe he intentionally killed Ostler.
"We didn't see any higher level of intent other than he should've just had an idea that this was a potential outcome given the circumstances," said Cannon.
Detectives on scene gave Porter a field sobriety test. They said he was not impaired.
Porter already posted the preset bond for the class A misdemeanor charge.
E-mail: ngonzales@ksl.com
